Manual of treatment of gas casualties : 1930 / The War office, 4th July, 1930.

  • Great Britain. War Office.
Date:
1930
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Manual of treatment of gas casualties : 1930 / The War office, 4th July, 1930. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    15/120 (page 7)
    MANUAL OF TREATMENT OF GAS CASUALTIES FOREWORD SUCCESS in minimizing the incidence of chemical warfare casualties, and in handling and treating such casualties, is bound to be proportionate to the extent to which information concerning the use of poisonous substances which may be adopted by the enemy for offensive purposes in warfare, the nature of the injuries caused by them and the lessons learnt during the Great War are the common knowledge of all medical officers. Very complete information on these subjects is to be found in the Official History of the War, Medical Services, Diseases of the War, Vol. II. (H.M. Stationery Office, 1923). As it is likely that in the event of future wars a considerable number of temporary medical officers will be employed with the Forces, the nature of whose civil occupation will have pre- cluded their taking any particular interest in a subject which is of such great importance from a military point of view, whilst officers of the Royal Army Medical Corps will require to refresh their memories of it, it has been considered advisable to issue this manual, in order to give, in a portable form, those ~ particulars which should be of practical value in the field. It is certain that if an enemy resorts to this form of attack he will endeavour to circumvent our protective measures by using known substances more effectively, and in higher concentra- tions, over more extended areas, as well as by the introduction of new poisonous gases. It is of paramount importance that commanders should receive the earliest possible information of the use of gas in the field, and immediate report should, therefore, be made to the superior medical authorities on the appearance of symptoms amongst casualties indicative of poisoning by warfare gases. Special care should be taken to